Battle of Athelney

The Battle of Athelney occurred in 878 during the Viking invasions of England. After Skorpa of the White Horse's Viking fleet arrived near the island of Athelney, where the King of Wessex Alfred the Great was hiding with his last remaining followers, Alfred's ealdorman Uhtred of Bebbanburg launched a surprise attack on the ships and burned all of them, stranding Skorpa's army in England.

Background
In 878, the Danish Viking warlord Skorpa of the White Horse invaded England via Cornwall, where he took over one of King Peradur's forts with 50 raiders. With the help of the West Saxon ealdorman Uhtred of Bebbanburg - disguised as a Danish raider - he killed Peradur and looted his treasure, cheating Uhtred out of his share. He then used the money to repair his ships and sail to Cynwit on the River Severn, where he sacked the new church which memorialized Ubbe Ragnarrsson's death at the Battle of Cynwit, slaughtering 15 months, stealing the solid gold altar, and burning the church to the ground. Following the East Anglian Viking Guthrum's storming of Winchester, Alfred was forced to flee to the Somerset Levels marshlands with his last remaining followers, and he sent three priests to rally soldiers for an army to fight against the Danes. Meanwhile, Skorpa's fleet later moved down the Severn to Athelney, posing a threat to Alfred's small force.

Battle
Coincidentally, Ealdorman Uhtred and his right-hand man Leofric of Winchester were among Alfred's followers who were hiding in the marshlands. Uhtred came up with a plan to destroy Skorpa's force: he and a small party of West Saxon soldiers would head towards the ships, which were guarded by only 60 men as the remaining Viking force was foraging for supplies inland. They would lure the Danes into the marshland and let nature take care of them, as the West Saxons - who were by now familiar with the safe passageways back to camp during high tides - would flee and lure the Danes down the wrong paths and into their watery graves. Uhtred had an archer fire several arrows at a group of Danes near their ships, and Uhtred then taunted the Danes, challenging them to fight. When the Danes began to charge, Uhtred and his men retreated, running down the correct paths, while the confused Danes ran down the wrong paths and were bogged down as they slipped in some watery portions of the bog. The Danes were showered by arrows as they tried to get back up, and they were slaughtered in the ensuing archery barrages. With the Danish guards dead, Uhtred led his men to the ships, setting them on fire. All 20 of Skorpa's ships were set on fire, stranding Skorpa's main force inland, and prompting him to join forces with Guthrum's main army in Wiltshire.